Street-car indicator.



H. KLARMAN.

STREET GAR INDICATOR.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 24, 1912.

1,081,389. Patented Dec. 16, 1913.

GEL: "Hum? -30 32 27 Inventor:

COLUMIHA PLANOGRAPH co, WASHINGTON, u. c.

HEINRICH KLARMAN, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

STREET-CAR INDICATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

PatentedDec. 16, 1913.

Application filed February 24, 1912. Serial No. 679,544.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HEINRIGI-I KL-ARMAN, a citizen of Austria-Hungary,residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State ofCalifornia, have invented new and useful Improvements in Street-CarIndicators, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in indicators for vehicles andparticularly to street car indicators adapted to indicate the names ofsuccessive streets passed by the car.

It is an object of the invention to provide an indicating strip adaptedto be wound upon rollers and carrying the names of streets, and toprovide means operable by the movement of the vehicle or car for movingsaid strip to expose successive street inclications to view.

It is also an object of the invention to provide a continuous streetindicator having electrical contact means, whereby an alarm or safetydevice will be operated in conjunction with the change of streetindications, to attract the attention of the occupants of the vehicle orcar.

In the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification, Figure1 is a transverse vertical sectional view through a car showing theimproved indicating mechanism installed therein. Fig. 2 is an enlargeddetail sectional view through the indicating rolls of the mechanism andshowing the adjacent actuating means therefor. Fig. 3 is an enlargedhorizontal detail sectional view through the indicating mechanism, theinterior mechanism being shown partially in section and partially inelevation and looking at the same from the top. Fig. 4 is a fragmentarydetail sectional view of one of the gear wheels showing the adjacentactuating gear in mesh therewith. Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic view of thealarm mechanism employed in connection with the indicator.

The details and features of the invention will now be more particularlydescribed, reference being had to the said drawing in which- 10indicates a car of ordinary construction, and 11 an indicator casingmounted therein. The casing is preferably located in any conspicuousposition in the Vehicle or car, so that all of the passengers oroccupants thereof may readily see the same. The casing is formed with anopening 12 through which the indications or street markings may beexhibited. WVithin the casing is mounted a frame 13 carrying an upperroller 14 and a lower roller 15 upon which. is wound a web or strip 16of suitable material, having the names of the streets or other desiredindications placed thereon. The rollers 14; and 15 are actuated bysprocket wheels 17 and 18 respectively which are connected and operatedin unison by an endless sprocket chain 19. Between the rollers 14 and 15a bar or plate 20 is mounted adapted to hold the web or strip 16outwardly and in close proximity to the opening 12.

The indicator is preferably operated automatically by the movement ofthe car and for this purpose the car axle 21 carries a gear 22 whichmeshes with a gear 23 journaled upon a car bolster 24. A flexiblerotatable connection 25 is interposed between the shaft of the said gear23 and a vertical shaft 26 mounted within the car 10, so that said shaft26 will be rotated when the wheels of the car are in motion. The shaft26 is carried upwardly to a point near the indicator 11 and is connectedwith a shorter shaft 27 journaled to one side of the indicator. Anordinary gimbal or other universal joint 28 is interposed between theends of the shaft 26 and the shaft 27, so as to permit of a slightadjustment of the upper shaft 27 when desired. The said shaft 27 carriesan actuating gear 29 having preferably a single tooth 30 upon theperiphery thereof. This tooth 30 is adapted to engage or mesh with teeth31 formed upon the adjacent side face of a gear 32 which is mounted uponan axis at right angles to the axis of the shaft 27. The said gear 32 isj ournaled upon a bracket 33 which projects from the frame 13, the saidgear being also provided with a single tooth 34 upon its periphery,adapted to engage the links of the sprocket chain 19, as clearly shownin Figs. 2 and 3 of the drawing. The gearing is thus of such acharacter, that its wheels will be turned a number of times before theindicator is actuated, for exhibiting a new street name opposite theopening 12. The gearing is proferably so timed that a street indicationwill be set forward each time a new crossing is passed, so that the nextstop of the car will be shown by the indicator.

It will of course be understood that the relative size and action of thevarious gears may be altered as found needful to accommodate theindicator to the particular run of a particular car. The rewinding orsetting of the web or fabric 16 at the end of the;

run is facilitated by the mounting of the shaft 27 and the universaljoint 28. The bearing of the shaft 27 at its upper end is provided withan elongated slot 35 permitting of the moving of the upper end of saidshaft by means of a lever 36 pivoted at suitable point within the carand connected with said shaft by means of a link 37 and a collar 38. Aspring 39 normally tends to force said shaft 27 toward the indicator sothat the gear 29 will actuate the gear 32 and the sprocket chain 19. Bydrawing the shaft 27 to one side by means of the lever 36, the gear 29will be prevented from engaging the gear 32 and the webbing 16 may bewound in an opposite direction from that in which it is actuated by thegearing. A crank 40 secured to the roller 15 may be used for winding theweb at such a time.

It is also desirable to call attention of the passengers to the changesof indications and for this purpose the webbing or strip 16 ispreferably provided with a series of contact plates 41, adapted tobridge and connect electric contacts 42 and 43 at proper intervals forthe ringing of a bell 44. The bell is an electrically operated bell andis in circuit with a battery 45, conductors 46, 47 and 48 being employedfor permitting of a completion of a circuit through the said battery andbell operating means when the plates 41 connect the contacts 42 and 43.The contacts 42 and 43 are preferably carried by the plate or board 20so that when the Webbing or strip 16 is moved over the same to bringforward a new street indication, one of the said plates 41 will bepassed over the contacts 42 and 43.

The operation of the mechanism will be evident from the abovedescription.

lVhat I claim is:

A street indicator for cars, comprising a web having indicationsthereon, rollers for carrying said web, sprockets mounted on and adaptedto revolve said rollers, a

sprocket chain connecting the said sprockets, a plurality of gearshafts, one of said shafts being swingingly mounted, interrupted gearsmounted on said shafts and adapted to move the said sprocket chain, oneintermeshing gear mounted on said shaft adapted to swing in a plane awayfrom the cooperating gear, an actuating shaft having a universalconnection with said swinging gear shaft, a gear connected with saidactuating shaft, and an intermeshing gear carried by the axle of the carwheels whereby the mechanism will be operated automatically through themovement of the car.

In witness that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto subscribed my namethis 16th day of February, 1912.

H. KLARMAN.

WVitnesses:

EDMUND A. STRAUSE, EARLE R. POLLARD.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, D. C.

